Sail
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: A person is a person, is a person. Except when they aren't. When a case brings NCIS and Boston PD together, Dr. Maura Isles finds her past catching up with her... a past she wasn't even aware she had. NCIS/Rizzoli & Isles crossover. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Sail **

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena **

**Summary: A person is a person, is a person. Except when they aren't. When a case brings NCIS and Boston PD together, Dr. Maura Isles finds her past catching up with her... a past she wasn't even aware she had. NCIS/Rizzoli & Isles crossover. AU.**

**A/N: Just something I wanted to try, while I'm killing my muse for not cooperating over my other stories...**

Ziva came into the bullpen, to find both her partners sitting at their desks, completely silent. There was no friendly bickering like there usually was, no rambling conversations between the two, no rolling of eyes or cheeky grins. She glanced at Tony and then at Tim, before dropping her gear behind her desk and making her way to her boyfriend. "Everything okay, Tim?" She asked, rubbing his back as she joined him at his desk. He didn't seem to hear her. "Tim?"

"Sorry, you say something, Zia?" He asked, finally looking up at her. She raised an eyebrow, although she was unable to hide the tug of a smile at the use of his name for her. Since they'd started dating- sneaking around being Tony's word for it- behind Gibbs's back nearly four years ago, they often used code words to communicate; a secret language only they knew of, their own form of gibberish or pig Latin, if you will.

"Everything all right?" She glanced at Tony, but he hadn't moved his gaze from whatever he was looking at. "It's awfully quiet in here. And neither one of you have said anything snarky to each other since I stepped into the bullpen. Tim sighed.

"Sorry, Zia. Everything's fine. It's just..." He sat back in his chair, and after a moment, Ziva perched on the edge of his desk, catching his eye. He sighed. "It's the anniversary." Ziva furrowed her brow.

"What anniversary? Ours is not for another two months." He shook his head and got up.

"Not that anniversary, Zia. An anniversary of a different kind." He rested a hand on her waist and kissed her quickly on the lips before moving out from behind the desk and heading towards the break room. Gibbs had, at that point, returned with coffee for his team, and had caught the kiss his two youngest agents shared. He decided, as he set a cup on Tony's desk, one on Ziva's, and then one on Tim's, that he'd let it slide, being the day of all days. He could chew them out for breaking Rule Twelve tomorrow, after the anniversary had passed.

Once he was gone, Ziva returned to her desk, before stopping. She glanced over at Tony, and then turned back to Tim's desk before heading to Gibbs. "What is the anniversary?" Gibbs looked up, blue eyes startled. She leaned against the desk. "Tim said that 'it's the anniversary,' but I..." She stopped, swallowing. "I did not know there was an anniversary. And if there is one, what is it for?"

Gibbs sighed. He glanced at Tony, who still hadn't said a word, and then to Tim's desk, to find him coming back with a granola bar that was quickly forgotten as he leaned back in his chair and picked up the photograph he'd been staring at before Ziva had arrived. Taking a deep breath, he got up, motioning for Ziva to follow. They stopped in the small alcove beneath the stairs, and Gibbs turned to her. "What anniversary is it, Gibbs? I have never seen Tony and-"

"Ziva, how much do you know about the woman who occupied your desk before you?" The question caught the Israeli beauty off guard, and she stared at him, eyes wide.

"Um... just... just that she was... a Special Agent that... that was killed in a shootout. That was... on your team for two years before... before my brother killed her." She whispered, feeling the familiar pinpricks at the back of her eyes whenever she thought about Ari. Gibbs nodded. "Kate, I think you said her name was."

"Special Agent Caitlin Todd." He whispered. Even now, it still hurt to think about her; he'd lost agents in the field before, sure- Jenny, Val, Paula, Michelle- but none had hurt or cut as deeply as Kate. To this day, he couldn't think about her with hearing the _splat!_ as Ari's bullet made contact with her skull, entering between her eyes and exiting out the back of her head, spraying brain matter and blood all over Tony.

"She was... who I... replaced." Ziva whispered slowly putting the pieces together. Gibbs nodded.

"She was former Secret Service, protected the President. Raised in Indiana, two older brothers and an older sister. She was a good girl and a damn good agent."

"And Tony was in love with her." He raised an eyebrow, mulling over Ziva's words, and then nodded.

"Yeah, guess he was. Guess he still is."

"So, today... is the anniversary of her... death." Ziva bit her lip, the pieces slowly falling into place. "And, because today is... the anniversary, and because I sit at her desk..." She stopped, unable to finish the thought. Taking a deep breath, she whispered, "I am sorry, Gibbs. I will try not to remind you too much of Kate." But Gibbs didn't say anything. Instead, he just went to her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead and squeezing her hand before returning to his desk.

Ziva stayed in the alcove for several minutes, trying to process everything that she'd learned about the woman who's place she had taken. Suddenly, it made going back to that desk hard. It was the desk_ she_ had sat at, _she_ had worked at, across from Tony, diagonal to Tim, next to Gibbs, for two years. And with her death, Ziva had come and taken it over, changing little things about it and adding her own touches. And in those four short years, she had managed to wipe away any, all and every trace of Kate Todd that had resided in or around that desk, without any thought or regard to how her partners would take it, to how her boss would react. In essence, she had, metaphorically, wiped all traces of Caitlin Todd out of their lives, forever.

As she returned to the bullpen and stopped, unsure if she should take a seat at the desk that had once been Kate's, Gibbs stood, snapping his phone shut and grabbing his things. "Gear up! We've got a dead Marine!"

That seemed to snap both Tony and Tim out of their thoughts. "Where, Gibbs?" Tim asked as they followed him to the elevator. Ziva quickly grabbed her things and dashed to catch up, slipping her hand between the closing doors and stepping inside once they slid open again. Gibbs glanced at her as they closed, before he replied,

"Boston."


	2. Chapter 2

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena **

**A/N: You _refuse_ to listen to me,_ refuse_ to work on _anything_ other than what _you_ want to work on. I have _other_ stories that need to be continued, finished, or started, and yet, you _continue_ to flit around like Tony does! Starting stories and then never finishing them, posting them _only_ when you're happy with them, it doesn't_ matter_ to_ you_ what anyone else wants, or that_ I've_ got requests that_ I_ want to work on, it's all about _you, you, you_! Or have you forgotten about _Wicked_? And what about _Eureka_? Remember those? Huh? What _kind of muse does that_? **

**A/N: And thank you, Bratling, I forgot to add a time frame to this- this is set in... well, 2009. So four years have passed since Kate's death and Ziva's arrival to the team, in 2005. Sorry about that, I know the dates got confusing; could have sworn I made it clear, but then again, I was tired when I edited and posted this, so the dates must have escaped my notice. **

**Thanks to Bratling and Challenger King for reviewing 1. **

_2009_

Ziva looked out the window of the rental car. She had never been to Boston, though she had heard Tim talk about it plenty- Penny had a townhouse in the older district of Boston, but spent so much time gallivanting about the country, that she was rarely home. Tim and Sarah had spent summers in Boston, going to Quincy Market and touring Lexington and Concord; it was so much a part of him that Ziva hoped he would be willing to show her around. She glanced at her boyfriend, reaching over and taking his hand; he met her gaze, giving her a soft smile and squeezing her hand. She leaned over to kiss him, but he pulled back, with a soft shake of his head. "Romeo's mountainside nom de plume, Zia." She sighed, glancing towards the rearview mirror, catching Gibbs's blue eyes watching them.

_Not here, with Gibbs and Tony around._

A moment passed, before she nodded, instead, satisfying herself with bringing his hand to her mouth and pressing a soft kiss to the back of it. She loved their secret language, but hated using it whenever Gibbs or Tony were around. Sighing, she whispered,

"Café bench Seattle coast."

_When we have a moment alone, then._

As they parked and got out, Ziva wasn't at all surprised to see the familiar markers of a crime scene- even in Boston, crime looked the same. What surprised her, and the rest of the team, was the medical examiner- or, what they all assumed was the medical examiner- kneeling beside the body. The woman was dressed in a heather grey pencil skirt and matching jacket; they could only faintly make out a cream-colored blouse beneath the open jacket, and black heels on her feet. Instead of being in appropriate attire- besides the apparent business casual- her hair was down, not up. Honey-blonde locks spilled over her shoulders and down her chest in soft curls that begged to be played with.

"Excuse me, sir," The team stopped, all turning to the officer that had stepped forward. He had soft, beautiful skin, that reminded anyone that looked at him of melting milk chocolate, and he looked younger than his years. His eyes were a beautiful golden brown, and he was of slight build, but something told the team that it wasn't his height, but his calm attitude that commanded attention in a room. "This is a crime scene-"

"We know." Gibbs flashed his badge. "Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS. This is my team, Agent DiNozzo, Agent McGee, and Agent David, as well as our medical examiner, Dr. Mallard and his assistant, James Palmer. We got a call that this man is a marine, and therefore, that makes it our jurisdiction." He moved to step under the yellow tape, but the man spoke up.

"But he's in Boston-"

"Relax, Frost. I called NCIS." The other man turned to see Korsak, the head of the homicide division, as everyone joked, step forward. He removed a glove and held out a hand. "Nice to meet you, Agent Gibbs. Come on."

"Ducky, Palmer, get started on the body-" Gibbs said, following the older man as the three agents also followed. The younger man, Frost, spoke up.

"But Korsak, Maura... Dr. Isles is already-" He kicked at a clump of dirt when he realized they weren't listening anymore, and stuck his hands on his hips before ducking under the tape and following. "Jane is going to have a field day." He muttered as he dashed off to join them. "Dr. Isles is already working on a time of death-"

"Appears to be between twenty-four and seventy-two hours ago." The examiner in question replied, removing the liver probe.

"That's nice to know, but I'd rather have my own medical examiner tell me the truth. I prefer his results to those of someone I don't even know." Gibbs turned to his team, as Ducky and Palmer set to work. "Tony, get statements. McGee, photos, Ziva, bag and tag." The three nodded and set to work, as the woman stood, removing her purple gloves.

"Well, that's very nice that you trust your medical examiner, but this is my body, Mr.-"

"Special Agent Gibbs." The Team Leader replied, turning back to the body as his team came back with the things they would need to collect all their evidence. She chuckled softly.

"Special Agent," As she spoke, he turned around to face her. His eyes widened, and he felt his breath catch. He wasn't the only one. "Gibbs."

Behind him, Tony and Tim stopped what they were doing, mouths hanging open in shock. Only Ziva seemed to remain unaffected by the woman in front of her; she glanced between her boyfriend and Tony and the examiner and back, confused. "Um... am I... missing something?"

But no one was listening to her. In a soft, startled voice, Gibbs whispered,

"Kate."


	3. Chapter 3

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena **

**A/N: This chapter was hard to write... no thanks to the_ muse_...**

Hazel eyes furrowed as she stared at the older man, and the team standing behind him, all in their NCIS attire- the pants, black jackets and caps that constituted as "uniforms" for the federal agency. "Um... I'm sorry? I... I don't know any... Kate."

But before the older man could respond, the only woman on the NCIS team stepped forward, pushing herself between her two colleagues and making her way towards the medical examiner. "You... you are... you look..." She turned to Gibbs. "Is this the woman? Is this the reason for the anniversary?"

"What anniversary?" The dark-haired woman turned back to her. Slowly, silently, she stepped towards the examiner, studying her. Four years ago, she had done a dossier on Agent Todd for Ari, though she'd had no idea why. It was only after he'd killed the petite brunette that his reasoning became clear. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."

Ziva had never been able to get Agent Todd's photograph out of her head, from that moment forward, and now, here she was, standing before the woman who had caused Ziva's teammates such heartache. "I know you." She pointed a finger at her. "You... you are that agent. The... the one who died... the... the one at... you sat at my desk. A... Across from Tony and diagonal to Tim..." She turned back to Gibbs. "This is her, yes?"

"Maura, what's goin' on?" Ziva turned as a leggy raven-head joined them. "Who are you?" She sounded like she had a permanent cold, the Israeli noted, gaze wandering up and down the woman. Despite her athletic build, she didn't appear to be much of threat; if she wanted, Ziva could take her out with a quick punch to the throat, or one slice with a credit card, if she had one handy. There was something she didn't like about the woman, and she stepped closer.

"Could ask you the same. Ziva _Da_vid, NCIS." The woman nodded, taking her badge and quickly looking over. After a moment, she handed it back, before pulling out her own and holding it out.

"Detective Jane Rizzoli, Boston Police." Gibbs snatched it out of the woman's hand before Ziva could take it. He quickly studied it, before handing it back and pulling out his own badge, flashing it at her.

"Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS. This is my team, and that," He nodded towards the yet to be collected, thanks to the little setback with the medical examiner. "Is my crime scene." Jane raised an eyebrow as she took her badge back.

"NCIS? What the hell's-"

"Naval Criminal-" The team in question started in unison, the last two members shaking themselves out of their shock.

"Investigative Service." Maura finished softly. Jane turned to her, surprised that Maura knew what it meant.

"How do you know that?" Hazel eyes met brown, and for several minutes, she kept quiet, before rolling her shoulders back and saying,

"I work for Boston Police, Jane, remember? When you work in law enforcement, you tend to find that sometimes other agencies need you to assist on a few of their cases. My being a medical examiner, I helped NCIS with a few cases before I joined Boston Police." Silence fell between them, and Gibbs couldn't help but study the medical examiner that called herself Maura, before he finally shook himself and turned back to his team.

"Hey!" The three looked up. "Are you just gonna stand around all day? Ducky and Palmer have already done half of what you three need to get done! Move it!" When the three still didn't move, he stormed towards them, smacking Tony in the back of the head, before turning to his two youngest. Ziva had since returned to Tim's side, and the two were talking softly together as they got what they needed out. Narrowing his eyes, he smacked them both upside the head; Ziva jumped at the contact, stumbling over the gear and careening into Tim. He caught her, arms latching tight around his waist.

"You okay?" She nodded, before both straightened. When Gibbs cast them an annoyed look, they rushed off to collect evidence and take photographs. Once they were gone, Gibbs turned back to those on Boston PD.

"This is my scene now, Detective Rizzoli. Which means, I am going to have everything shipped back to D.C., so I our forensic can go through everything."

"You can't do that, Agent Gibbs, this crime is in Boston. Therefore it's my scene-" But Korsak intervened.

"The victim is a marine, Jane." She glared at him.

"So? That doesn't matter! We've dealt with military cases before-"

"But NCIS is _trained_ in cases like this. The body and the evidence goes with them." Jane's mouth dropped.

"But Korsak-"

"This is a military crime, Rizzoli! It's their jurisdiction." The cop huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Maura removed her gloves and tossed a honeyed curl off her shoulder.

"I can't believe they're just going to_ take_ _our body_ and _our evidence_." Jane muttered, as she watched Ziva and Tim work. Ziva was putting a small mass of larvae into a jar to be analyzed back at Abby's lab, and McGee was snapping photographs, bouncing theories back and forth.

"I still don't like maggots." He muttered. Ziva chuckled softly.

"How many times must I tell you, McGee? If you are hungry enough-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. They don't taste that bad." He shivered, but continued taking photographs to be logged in as evidence. Maura watched the two, unaware that Gibbs was watching her. A moment passed, before she turned back to the Team Leader.

"If you could just sign over the transfer of the remains." Gibbs started, motioning for her to follow him to the truck.

"I already did." Maura replied. "But on one condition." Gibbs turned back to her. He waited, but she kept quiet. As he started to head to check on Tony, she called out,

"I come to D.C., to help you with the case." He turned back, casting a glance at her, before chuckling and heading over to Tony.


	4. Chapter 4

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena **

"You can't possibly be serious, Maura! Going all the way to D.C., just to help with a case? What is _wrong_ with you?" Jane took a sip of her wine as Maura rested her arms on the island counter. She sighed.

"I just... I need to help with this case, Jane. I... I don't know why, but I just... I do. Okay?" But all the cop did was roll her eyes and head into the living room, plopping into the sofa and leaning her head back into the cushions. Maura took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Then, she grabbed her wine glass and joined the raven-head.

"Why? Explain it to me, Maura." She met Jane's eyes, and shrugged, taking a sip of her wine.

"I can't. Not exactly. I just... I feel as though I need to be in Washington. I need to help with this case. It's almost as if... there is this... piece of me that's missing. Like it's this... part of me I can't... I can't remember." She swallowed. "I want to remember it, Jane. Whatever it is, I want to remember it. And... whatever it is... it has something to do with Washington, D.C., and NCIS."

Jane set her glass down, reaching over and taking Maura's hand. "You sure you want to do this?" Their fingers laced, and she found herself studying Maura's fingers. The nails were a soft, light pink, short and smooth, perfect for her profession. Slowly, she laced their fingers, squeezing gently. After a moment, Maura nodded.

"Yeah. I have to." She sighed and got up, tugging her hand out of Jane's. "I don't know why, but... I feel like..." She grabbed her glass and headed into the kitchen, emptying it in one swing and setting the glass in the sink. She shook her head to clear the buzz. "Meeting the team today... it felt as though... I knew them. All of them." She turned back to Jane after grabbing a box of thin mints from the shelf. "Or, at least the men. Like I'd... worked for them or with them."

"Well, you said that you have. Before, with other cases, as an examiner." Maura shook her head.

"I know, but... but not this team."

"Maybe you've met them before." Jane suggested sipping the last of her wine. Again, Maura shook her head.

"No. I'd remember them. Especially the team leader. I would definitely remember the team leader." Jane sighed, putting her glass in the sink and then taking Maura's waist. She pulled the medical examiner closer, until she could rest her forehead to Maura's. It had been nearly four years since Jane had joined Homicide, and in that time, she and Maura had gotten to be good friends.

And then those 'good friends' turned into something more. Much more.

It had taken time before Maura was willing to admit that she had feelings for Jane, but eventually, the woman did acknowledge that Jane made her feel like no man could- rare, exotic, beautiful. And Jane wasn't too proud to admit that being with Maura made her accept that she was more than just a cop, she was a woman, in love with her best friend.

Gently, Jane brushed a kiss over Maura's lips, tasting the mixture of wine and mint. She sighed, wrapping her arms around Maura's waist and pulling her closer. Silence filled the house for several minutes, before Jane finally spoke.

"Fine. You can go to D.C., but you aren't going alone." Maura rolled her eyes and pulled away, taking her box of Thin Mints and heading for her bedroom. Jane sighed, following. She leaned against the door, watching as Maura undressed; the black silk of her bra and the black lace around her black boyshorts made Jane's head spin, and after a moment, she pushed herself away from the door and sauntered over to her lover. "Do you know how beautiful you are?" She slid her arms around Maura's waist from behind and pressed a kiss to her neck. The medical examiner chuckled, and after stealing a kiss, pulled away. She removed her bra and then grabbed a light little nightgown, pulling it on before pulling back the covers of the bed.

Jane sighed, and then also began to undress until she was only in her boxers and a tank. She then joined Maura on the bed, accepting one of the cookies. They lay together, eating the last of Maura's Thin Mints in silence, before she turned the lights off and put the box in the trash. Then, she shifted onto her side, facing away from Jane, who groaned softly and reached for Maura's shoulder. "Hey, Maur, listen to me. Maura, look at me."

A moment passed, before the other woman shifted onto her other side, facing her lover. "What?" Gently, Jane reached up, brushing a strand of hair off Maura's cheek.

"Do you really need to go to D.C.?" Maura nodded.

"Yes, Jane. We've discussed this. I'm going and you can't stop me." She shifted to turn from her lover, when Jane grabbed her arm, pulling her back around.

"You didn't let me finish." One slender eyebrow raised.

"You were going to finish?" A quick glare caused her to shut up. She sighed, letting Jane continue.

"What I was gonna say, was that if you're so intent on going to D.C., then I am going with you." She watched as hazel eyes widened, and quickly silenced any protest with a deep kiss. "I'm going, Maura. If you go, I go."

"But you can't just take time off-"

"I have some vacation days that need to be used. Besides, everyone_ knows better_ than to send you by yourself, or to send you with someone other than_ me_." Maura started to protest again, but once more, Jane cut her off with a kiss.


	5. Chapter 5

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena **

**A/N: Okay, the Rizzles I wasn't expecting... **

It was a shock to everyone to find the Boston PD medical examiner and her smart-mouthed cop friend stepping into the bullpen with Gibbs's team that first day back in D.C., but as usual, everyone ignored it to keep from getting called on by Gibbs. Once they were back in the bullpen, the three exhausted agents collapsed into their chairs, struggling to stay awake. Ducky and Palmer were down in autopsy with the bodies, and Abby was already working the mountain of evidence.

"What_ lovely_ orange walls." Jane muttered; they'd been summoned to Vance's office, and after a lengthy chat with both Vance and Gibbs, were permitted to help with the investigation. Jane was to be set up in the cubicle partitioned near McGee's desk, and Maura would spend the majority of her time in autopsy with Ducky.

"Orange is one of the power colors. It's said that orange stimulates enthusiasm and creativity and relieve stress-"

"Okay, we get it, Martha Stewart." Jane replied, as they came down the hall and stepped into the bullpen, to see Tony lounging back in his chair, Tim sound asleep on his desk, and Ziva, sitting up with her head nodding against her chest, all sound asleep. "Should we-"

But before Jane could finish, Gibbs came back into the bullpen from autopsy, took one look at his sleeping agents, and shook his head. Without a word, he went to each agent, smacking them on the back of the head to get them to wake up. Each bolted awake, stumbling out of their chairs and rubbing their eyes_. "Time to wake up, all three of you!"_ Maura stopped, going rigid.

_"Kate!" _

_"What?" _

_"Time to wake up!"_

She shook her head, sending the thoughts flying. Jane caught the reaction out of the corner of her eye, and turned to her. "You okay, Maur?"

"Yeah. I... I'm fine. Just... just jetlag." Jane nodded, and stepped into the bullpen as the agents quickly pulled up the basic information they had on their victim.

"Gunnery Sergeant James Todd, born in Madison, Indiana, to-" But Tony stopped, realizing something.

"Tony?" Ziva glanced at her partner. "Are you okay?"

"James Todd. Oldest son of Connie and Robert Todd, stationed on the _U.S.S. Virginia_." He sighed. "He's Kate's older brother." Tim groaned softly, perching on the edge of his desk.

"Great. Not only do they lose Kate, but now they've lost James. Two children in four years." He ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. He watched as Detective Rizzoli and Dr. Isles stepped into the bullpen, joining Ziva, Tony and Gibbs at the plasma. Tim watched as Dr. Isles studied the photograph and information, as though she were reading an instruction manual.

"This is the victim?" She asked, turning to the others. Tony nodded.

"Yeah. Just great, another of the Todd kids dead and gone." Maura stepped closer to the screen; she had the nagging feeling that she _knew_ him-

"Tony, pull all the records on our vic. Now!"

"On it, Boss!" Tony instantly rushed back to his desk, grabbing the phone.

"Ziva, McGee, I want you to hunt down his CO, get as much information about Todd's time on the _U.S.S. Virginia _as you can." As he spoke, the pair in question had been gathering their things, removing their guns and badges from the bottom drawers of their desks and slipping the holsters into the small of their backs, and sliding their badges onto the hem of their pants. Tim grabbed his gear, sliding it onto his shoulder, and Ziva did the same, catching the keys Gibbs tossed to Tim as she passed her boyfriend.

"I'm driving."

"Why are you driving?"

"Because we will get there faster." He narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, or, we'll end up in autopsy alongside Ducky's Gunnery Sergeant." He snatched the keys back, striding to the elevator doors and hitting the button. But as they stepped into the elevator and turned to face the opening doors, Ziva snatched the keys from his hand, sliding them into her pocket.

"_I'm_ driving. _You_ can drive on the way back." Tim groaned.

"Great. Now I_ know_ I'm dead."

As they disappeared from view, Tony spent time on the phone, requesting records, and once done, Gibbs told him to check on Abby for any new revealed evidence. Jane, finally having gotten her word in, was sent down to Forensics with Tony, leaving Maura and Gibbs alone. "Have a seat, Dr. Isles."

"Thank you, Agent Gibbs, but I should probably get down to the morgue-"

"Ducky and Palmer will send for you when they need you, Dr. Isles. Until then, sit down and relax." He then disappeared without a word, leaving Maura alone as he headed for coffee. With the bullpen deserted, Maura spent time studying each desk, seeing little touches added by each agent. But the desk she rose from her chair to study closer was the one right beside her.

She slowly wandered over to the desk Ziva resided at, and stood, staring at it for several minutes. It was the same as all the other desks, but as Maura studied it, she saw the small Israeli flag in the pencil holder, the corkboard with the photographs from the last NCIS Christmas party, and a fairly intimate photograph of her and Agent McGee, locked in a kiss. In the photograph, Tim's eyes were open, and he was staring at the camera, even though he didn't break the kiss.

Maura chuckled; you could find out a lot about a person just by the contents of their workspace.

Like Ziva; the woman was organized, but there was still a hint of messy about her. She was a wild, almost feral beauty, who had obviously settled for being tamed by her partner- a man she was clearly in love with.

Glancing behind her, Maura slipped behind Ziva's desk and pulled out her chair, slowly taking a seat. As she settled into the chair and gently laid her hands on the desk, she felt her stomach start to knot. Something was off, but she didn't know what. A pounding in her head began; she hadn't eaten much today, and she was most likely dehydrated. She closed her eyes, hoping the instant darkness would help with her headache, but only discovered that she had to open them again when the pounding got to be too much.

As her eyes opened, she realized that something was defiantly off. She looked around, before her gaze landed on the small flag, and quickly, she plucked it up, twirling it between her fingers. Then, she opened a drawer and laid the flag inside before closing it and turning to the corkboard. Her gaze landed on the photograph of Ziva and Tim. She clucked her tongue. "Oh, Tim... don't you understand Rule Twelve? When Gibbs find out, he'll kill you both." Then, without another word, she reached up, removing the photograph from Ziva's corkboard and adding it the drawer, resting atop the flag. Once done, she sat back in the chair, studying every inch of the desktop.

"There. All nice and tidy. Just like you like it." She got up, wandering over to Tony's desk and pulling open a drawer, revealing a small hand mirror he often used to fix his hair. She quickly brushed her curls away from her eyes and sighed. "Right," She grinned at her reflection. "Kate?"


End file.
